Escape, Feel Safe, and Relax

Whether you share a dorm room at college, live in your first small apartment, have a house that is bursting at the seams, or reside in a spacious home, it’s possible to create a space that is yours. You alone can define what sacred space means to you. Having a space you can escape to, feel safe, and be centered is important to your health. Check out Judy's article in Wellness on the benefits of relaxation.

For many our first sacred space was our bedroom. It was the place we could go when growing up, we could close the door and find that still place within. When Judy was a teenager – it was a chair in her room. She could curl up with a book and escape the pressures of adolescence and her five siblings.

It can be a space you find by accident like Karen's rock garden. (She writes about it in Accidental Meditator, one of our reader submissions). Tamara can find a temporary sacred space anywhere there’s a rocking chair and music.

Or, it can be a space you create, with purpose and intent. A sacred space doesn’t need to be elaborate. Simple is good. Your space will be influenced by where you live, whom you live with, what speaks to you, and perhaps the season.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said “There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.” For my sister, her sacred space is her bathtub. When she sinks into the hot water she has her shell collection, an assortment of special soaps and body scrubs, candles, a glass of wine and a beautiful view out the window. The only invited guest is her faithful dog Finnie.

In the summer, my sacred space is the screened in porch at my summer home. Preparing the space at the beginning of each summer is part of my ritual. Sweeping, cleaning, placing the cushions on my favorite chair, and hanging a plant are all part of creating my space. From here I can feel cool breezes, listen to the birds chirp, read a book or take a nap.

Steps to create your sacred space:Choose your space: this can be a corner in a room, a bench in the garden, a chair or an entire room. Select a space that you can envision bringing you relaxation. It can be a permanent space or a temporary one. When I was in college I had a favorite corner in the library that was my escape.

Clear the space: Eliminate the things in the space that distract you. If it is a room or a corner of a room you might consider giving the walls a fresh coat of paint.

If it is a temporary space – arrange the furniture and remove clutter.

Fill your space with items that are meaningful to you. Items that bring you joy. A vase of flowers, a special picture, and a cozy chair, books with particular meaning, a comfortable blanket, music. Even in a temporary space you can bring along a few personal items that are calming.

Find time to spend in your space!